Press Releases
Trump repeals protection for Appalachian streams, communities
Contact: Erin Savage, Central Appalachian Program Manager, 206-769-8286, erin [at] appvoices.org Thom Kay, Senior Legislative Representative, 864-580-1843, thom [at] appvoices.org President Trump is scheduled to sign a resolution today repealing the Stream Protection Rule. The loss of the rule has far-reaching consequences, especially for Central Appalachian streams and communities. A main goal of the rule…
Read MoreAppalachian Voices joins coalition to legally defend stream protections, community health
Contact: Thom Kay, Senior Legislative Representative, 864-580-1843, thom.kay [at] appvoices.org Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat [at] appvoices.org Washington DC – A coalition of local and national community and conservation groups, including Appalachian Voices, yesterday filed a motion to participate in two lawsuits that seek to undermine the Stream Protection Rule. The rule, an update…
Read MoreGroups blast FERC findings on fracked-gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline
To all media: America’s next big pipeline fight is emerging in the mountain towns and farming communities of West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. With federal regulators poised to rubber-stamp the proposed fracked-gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline, landowners, community leaders and their allies are taking inspiration from the water protectors at Standing Rock and vowing to…
Read More16,000+ citizens demand unbiased review of fracked-gas Mountain Valley Pipeline proposal
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over the past three months, more than 16,000 people have sent comments or signed petitions to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) demanding the agency do a thorough, accurate and unbiased review of the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline, and ultimately reject the project. Local groups and environmental organizations submitted hundreds of detailed…
Read MoreSenate bill signals hope for economy in Appalachian coal communities
Contact: Adam Wells, Economic Diversification Program Manager, 804-240-4372, adam@appvoices.org Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org NORTON, VA – A bill announced today by senators from four Appalachian states for $1 billion to repurpose abandoned coal strip mines for economic development projects marks a significant step in the ongoing effort to revitalize local communities in the…
Read MoreReport: Repurposing Virginia’s abandoned coal sites
Old coal sites ready for new life as greenways, solar farms and more — with federal investment CONTACT: Adam Wells, Appalachian Voices, 276-679-1691, adam@appvoices.org Gerald Collins, Coal Mining Engineering Services LLC, 276-220-0150, gerald1951@comcast.net Evan Fedorko, Downstream Strategies, 304-292-2450, efedorko@downstreamstrategies.com WISE COUNTY, VA — A report released today highlights the economic development potential of more than…
Read MoreCiting major gaps, groups call on federal agency to revise Mtn Valley Pipeline study
Contacts: Ben Luckett, Appalachian Mountain Advocates: (304) 645-0125 Laurie Ardison, Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights: (304) 646-8339 Kate Boyle, Appalachian Voices: (434) 293-6373 Anne Havermann, Chesapeake Climate Action Network: (240)396-1984 A coalition of 27 conservation and community groups is calling on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to revise or supplement its draft environmental impact…
Read MoreFirst national “Energy Efficiency Day” celebrated
Contact: Cat McCue, Communications Director 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org This Wednesday, October 5, a network of organizations and partners across the country will join together to promote the benefits of energy efficiency for the first-ever, nationwide “Energy Efficiency Day.” Appalachian Voices, a nonprofit organization based in Boone, North Carolina, will join in the efforts to raise awareness…
Read MoreCommunity and conservation groups condemn FERC’s review of proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline
Contact: Joe Lovett, Appalachian Mountain Advocates, 304-520-2324, jlovett@appalmad.org Laurie Ardison, Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights, 304-646-8339, ikeandash@yahoo.com Kirk Bowers, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, 434-296-8673, kirk.bowers@sierraclub.org Kelly Trout, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org Lara Mack, Appalachian Voices, 434-293-6373, lara@appvoices.org WASHINGTON, D.C. – Federal regulators today released a draft environmental review for the proposed fracked-gas Mountain…
Read MoreOSMRE announces review of mountaintop removal health research
Contact: Erin Savage, Central Appalachia Campaign Coordinator, 206-769-8286 The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) announced today that it will fund a $1 million review by the National Academy of Sciences of current research on the links between surface coal mining and human health risks. It comes more than a year after…
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